You can skip the OLED iPad mini if you want a keyboard case, a ProMotion display or a lower price. The Wi-Fi model starts at $699 with 128GB, and nano-texture glass puts the cheapest anti-glare model at $899.
The 128GB and 256GB models have a 5-core CPU, and only the 512GB model has the 6-core chip behind Apple’s speed claims. The iPad Air with M4 starts at $749 and works with a Magic Keyboard, while the iPad (A16) costs $449 with an 11-inch display.
1. The Price Is $100 Above the Previous iPad Mini
The previous iPad mini cost $599 after Apple’s price increase on June 25, and the OLED model starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi version and $849 for Wi-Fi + Cellular.
Both the Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi + Cellular model start at 128GB, so the extra $100 over the previous iPad mini buys you the OLED display, the A20 Pro and the IP67 rating rather than more storage.
2. Nano-Texture Glass Costs $100 More and Needs 256GB
The nano-texture glass option is limited to the 256GB and 512GB models, and it adds $100 to each. The cheapest nano-texture Wi-Fi model therefore costs $899, and the 512GB version costs $1,099. The cheapest nano-texture Wi-Fi + Cellular model is $1,049.
3. The Base Models Have a 5-Core CPU
The 128GB and 256GB models have a 5-core CPU with 2 super cores and 3 efficiency cores, while the previous iPad mini had 6 cores. You only get the 6-core CPU and the Dual 16-core Neural Engine on the 512GB model, which costs $999.
Apple’s claim of up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance comes from the 6-core chip, and it compares against the iPad mini with A17 Pro. Every model has a 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators.
4. The Display Has No ProMotion
The iPad Pro has ProMotion and the iPad mini does not, so the OLED screen refreshes at 60Hz. Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, said OLED pixels respond more than an order of magnitude faster than LCD pixels, which gives smoother motion at a lower refresh rate, as Apple explains why it skips 120Hz.
The 60Hz refresh rate is the same as on the previous iPad mini’s LCD, and the OLED panel reaches 600 nits of full-screen brightness, up from 500 nits, with a 1200-nit HDR peak.
5. There Is No Magic Keyboard
You can pair Bluetooth keyboards with the iPad mini, but no Magic Keyboard works with it, while the iPad Air supports the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air and the iPad (A16) supports the Magic Keyboard Folio. The 11-inch iPad Air with M4 starts at $749, which is $50 above the iPad mini.
6. The Charger in the Box Is 20W
You get a 20W USB-C power adapter in the box, and the quoted charge of up to 50 percent in around 30 minutes needs an adapter rated at 35W or higher, sold separately. The 18.9-watt-hour battery is rated for up to 10 hours of web browsing or video on Wi-Fi, the same as the iPad Air and iPad Pro, and its battery capacity is slightly below the previous model’s.
7. Liquid Damage Is Still Not Covered
The iPad mini is rated IP67 for immersion in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, but liquid damage is not covered under warranty and the resistance can decrease with normal wear. AppleCare+ adds accidental damage coverage with a $29 fee for a screen-only repair and $99 for other damage.
8. The Cellular Model Costs $849 and Uses eSIM Only
The Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts at $849 with 128GB, and it takes an eSIM only, so a physical SIM card will not work. Apple rates it for up to 9 hours of web browsing on cellular data, and the 512GB model with nano-texture glass and cellular costs $1,249.
9. A Smart Folio and Apple Pencil Pro Add $208
The new Smart Folio costs $79 and Apple Pencil Pro costs $129, so the Wi-Fi model with both comes to $907 before tax. Apple Pencil (USB-C) costs $79, which brings the same setup to $857.
10. The iPad (A16) Costs $250 Less
The iPad (A16) starts at $449 with an 11-inch Liquid Retina display and 128GB of storage, and it supports Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the Magic Keyboard Folio. It has no Apple Intelligence, which means no Siri AI, and no ProMotion either.
Our Take
The case for skipping is strongest if you type a lot, want ProMotion or plan to read outdoors on a budget, since nano-texture glass pushes the price to $899. The display, the IP67 rating and the 0.56 pound body remain the reasons to buy the OLED iPad mini, and all of them come with the $699 model.
